


I Don't Need a Babysitter

by blake_is_strange



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: "slow burn" sorta, Angry Victoria, Babysitting, F/F, Game Night, Staying for the weekend, Underage Drinking, mentions of ADHD, video games - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:41:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23499199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blake_is_strange/pseuds/blake_is_strange
Summary: Victoria's parents and aunt go away for the long weekend, leaving her little cousin Roger to stay with her at the Chase mansion. Mrs. Chase calls Max to babysit Roger, and maybe Victoria too.
Relationships: Maxine "Max" Caulfield/Victoria Chase
Comments: 37
Kudos: 159





	1. Day One

**Author's Note:**

> Just a cute fluffy piece with some insight into Victoria's family life. Fun times! Thanks to the anon for the request!

Day One

Victoria’s POV

“What do you mean you got a babysitter?” I practically shout as my mother picks up her bag and gives me that look that tells me I’m not winning this one. 

“What I mean is that Roger needs a babysitter and you’re obviously not up to the challenge, so I called someone,” she explains with what - at least for my mother - I’m assuming is patience. 

“Who did you call that’s willing to stay here with a seven-year-old for three days?” I dare to ask, putting my hands on my hips. I realize that I probably look a lot like she does when she scolds me because my mother smiles at me, a sight that only stirs me up more because I’m not used to it. 

“One of the girls from your school. I believe she’s in photography with you,” she says before picking up her suitcase and wheeling it towards the door. My heart sinks. It’s probably that saint Kate Marsh. God, save me, I can’t handle spending an entire weekend with her. What could be worse?

I hear tires moving over the gravel driveway outside as if on cue as my mother opens the door, a pleasantly trained smile on her face. I look past her to see a beat-up old truck idling there and I’m convinced I might lose my lunch when the realization hits me. 

“That should be her now.”

A lithe, chestnut-haired girl steps out of Chloe Price’s old truck, a duffle bag and her messenger held on her shoulder as she walks hesitantly onto the porch. She smiles shyly and holds out her hand to my mother, those brilliant Max Caulfield freckles filling my gut with a combination of delight and fury. 

“Hi, Mrs. Chase. Thank you so much for letting me stay over. My parents still live all the way in Seattle so I would’ve had to stay in the dorms over the long weekend,” Max explains, but I can see behind her words that she probably would’ve much rather stayed with her dyke best friend instead. Chloe waves out the window and turns her music up way too loud before speeding away, blasting smog into the air. I scoff and cross my arms over my chest, glaring at Max as she gives me a small smile. 

“Hi, Victoria.”

“Whatever,” I sigh, shifting my weight as my mother gives me that look again. 

“Manners, Victoria Maribeth,” she scolds me before taking an envelope out of her purse and handing it to Max. “This is all the information you should need. Roger is sort of a loner type so he’ll stay up in his room most of the time. Just make sure he’s well-fed and does his homework.” She pauses, looking around before leaning a bit closer to Max. “He has some… Medicine for his ADHD, but he can only take it with meals. He doesn’t resist taking it, but he doesn’t always eat well.” 

Max nods, smiling stiffly. 

“Don’t worry, Mrs. Chase. Your nephew is in good hands,” she says and my mother actually smiles warmly. I want to gag but I hold it back, rolling my eyes. 

“I’m sure he is. Victoria will be here too, but she’s fairly self-sufficient. Just beware of her claws,” my mother says in a tone I almost mistake as teasing. 

“Oh, I know. We’ve been in school together for a few months now,” Max says in a joking way that makes me wish I could wring her scrawny little neck. 

“Well, have a good weekend you two! Don’t burn the house down, Victoria. And stay out of my liquor cabinet this time,” mother says as she walks to the BMW that our personal driver has been waiting in this entire time. When they drive off, I’m left staring at Max, her eyes locked on her ratty sneakers. 

“So… Where should I sleep?” She asks. I scoff and walk back into the entry hall, my bare feet pattering against the white tile. 

“Outside with the dog,” I tell her, hearing her close and lock the front door as I make my way into the kitchen.

“You have a dog?” She asks, her surprised voice echoing off of the immaculate white walls. I sigh and go to the fridge, standing on my toes to grab the key off the top of it and head straight to the liquor cabinet. If I’m going to have to spend the weekend with the hipster trash queen of Blackwell, I’m not going to be sober for it. 

She walks into the kitchen archway as I pour myself a glass of wine, staring at the room in awe. 

“Wowsers,” she whispers, clutching the strap of her bag. “This place is massive.”

“Please, for the love of everything that is good in this world, do not say those stupid words in my home,” I say before taking a long, deep swig of the expensive red my dad brought home from France last year. It’s supposedly thirty years old. Or something like that. It’s dry as hell and burns on the way down. 

“Which ones? I might need a list.” 

I shoot her a glare and she’s grinning at me, those stupid blue eyes lighting up like I just made her day.

“Just… Don’t talk. Your room is the third one on the right, between my room and Roger’s. This is supposed to be my weekend alone and you’re making it miserable already,” I sigh before taking another, much smaller sip of wine. 

“You’re not alone, though. Roger’s here,” she says softly, her brows furrowed as she watches me. I pinch the bridge of my nose, already feeling a headache starting to throb against the back of my skull. 

“He’s my nerdy cousin who would rather spend all his time killing other kids in video games. We don’t exactly have a lot in common,” I tell her, not sure why I’m even continuing this asinine conversation. Max is looking at me with what I can only guess is concern, so I decide that maybe I should show her the guest room so she’ll stop fucking staring at me. “Whatever. Come on.”

I lead her upstairs and open the door to the guest room that separates my room from the one Roger usually stays in. It’s freshly cleaned and dusted and the drapes are pulled back to let the sun shine in onto the white carpet. The bed is bigger than the ones at school, so I’m not surprised when Max’s eyes go wide. 

“Holy dog, who the hell needs this much bed?” She asks as she sets her bags down, hopping onto the bed and pressing down on the mattress with her palms. 

“Just because you can’t afford it doesn’t mean you don’t need it,” I grumble, sipping the wine I’m slowly realizing that I don’t actually like. “Come on. I’ll introduce you to Roger.”

Max nods, smiling as she stands, following me down the hall.

“So, any advice? What else does he like?” She asks in a soft voice, as if hearing her words echo off the walls is disturbing her. We pause outside his door and I look her right in the eyes, resisting the almost impossible urge to get lost in the flex of silver in those deep, blue pools. 

“Max, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but my family isn’t super tight-knit. We don’t talk about our feelings or have board game nights and we don’t spend time together that doesn’t involve smiling for the press. So I can’t answer any of your questions. Roger is a seven-year-old who has said all of three words to me since he got here two days ago. You’re on your own.”

She doesn’t seem to like this answer, but she takes it, nodding slowly. 

“Ok. No more questions,” she says softly, squaring her shoulders before taking a deep breath and knocking on the door. 

“Hey, Roger! I’m Max. Your aunt called me to watch out for you while your parents are out of town,” she says in a sweet voice that I almost let get to my head. I can’t help leaning against the doorframe, watching quietly as Max walks into Roger’s room.

The small blond boy looks up from his TV set, tilting his head a bit. He’s not a bad kid, but he’s always been sort of weird. 

“Oh. Hi. You like Call of Duty?” He asks. Max smiles and I have to stiffen my legs to keep my knees from feeling like noodles at the softness of it. 

“I play it sometimes. My friend and I play a lot of that game mode where you kill zombies,” she says as she walks over to the bed where Roger is sitting. He lights up at her words and he jumps from his spot, scrambling to find something. He picks up a controller and hands it over to her, a big grin on his face. 

“You wanna play with me?” He asks her. I’m not sure if it’s the acid in the wine or the hope in his eyes, but my heart aches suddenly. 

“Sure! But first, are you hungry? We can order pizza,” Max says. I swear that my little cousin would’ve burst into tears if he were anymore happy. 

“Yes! You’re the best!” He shouts excitedly. Max laughs and something in me twinges. 

Why is she the best?


	2. Day Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max talks with Roger and Victoria tries to bribe Roger into liking her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More babysitting fun! Enjoy!

Max’s POV

The Chase house is more than a little overwhelming. It’s huge and white all over and filled with expensive art and statues that would make anyone nervous to breathe too hard or speak too loudly. 

So I’m not entirely surprised that Roger doesn’t want to do anything except play video games in his room. I’d ended up actually spending the entire first night playing with him until he’d fallen asleep somewhere around midnight. It’s fun though. It feels like being at Chloe’s a bit. Well, minus that fact that Roger doesn’t curse, smoke or drink and he has blond hair instead of blue. But it’s still a surprisingly enjoyable time regardless. 

I’d been a little more than shocked when Mrs. Chase had called me to watch him for the weekend. Apparently she’d called Kate first, but Kate isn’t willing to go within ten feet of the Chase estate. Not that Mrs. Chase knew that. But apparently, Kate had recommended me, citing the volunteering I’ve done at the hospital with her. We spend a lot of time with kids there and I even teach a guitar class on Tuesday nights. But this is very different for more reasons than I can even begin to list. 

First and in my most immediate view is that Roger is a Chase. Or Chase related, I guess. I’m not really sure. Second, Victoria is much less enthused by my presence than Roger. She gives me the cold shoulder every time I come out for snacks and she even leaves a note on the counter downstairs, telling me that she’s going out with friends for the day and not to wait up. So I make my coffee and start trying to fry some eggs and make bacon for Roger. 

I’m about halfway through my second attempt at making a runny yolked egg when I hear footsteps behind me. I turn and see Roger wearing his usual dinosaur pajamas, a nervous look on his face. He looks around the kitchen, seeming to relax.

“Is cousin Victoria home?” He asks me in a whisper. I shake my head, smiling despite my slight confusion.

“No, she went out for the day,” I tell him, handing him a plate with some scrambled eggs - my first attempt at fried eggs - and serve him some of the bacon I managed not to burn. He smiles brightly and grabs the fork I put out for him, eating big mouthfuls and humming happily. Apparently I’m not such a bad breakfast chef after all. 

“She’s so scary sometimes,” he says around a mouthful of scrambled egg. I barely hide a smile, handing him a glass of orange juice and putting one of his pills on his plate. 

“Yeah, she can be a bit rough around the edges, but she’s a good person in there somewhere,” I say as I finish making my own breakfast, my mind running wild with questions. There’s so much I want to ask Roger about Victoria and how she acts at home, but isn’t that sort of weird?

“Are you guys friends at school?” He asks me, his food and pill now gone from his plate. I laugh at that, shaking my head. 

“No way. She hates my guts,” I say as I sit across from him at the table. “I’m sort of lame at school and she’s really... “ Popular isn’t exactly the right word. “She’s well known.” 

“Infamous, I’ll bet,” he grumbles and I laugh again, getting a grin from the small boy. “Is she mean?”

“Sometimes,” I say, not sure how many details I should give. Probably not too much. “But she has her good days. She’s also an amazing photographer and has A’s in all her classes.” As she’s not shy about stating at high volumes. 

“Mom says that she’s a weed smoking whore,” he says softly. I nearly choke on my bacon, coughing for a moment. 

“Jeez, Roger. Those are not nice words,” I say before taking a swig of my coffee to clear my throat. “She’s not a whore and I don’t think she even smokes anymore.”

“What’s a whore?” He asks and my cheeks go pink. I sigh and dig through my brain. How do I explain that to a kid?

“It’s not a nice word, so I try not to use it,” I say softly, sipping my coffee to hopefully give myself time to change the subject. “So, since Victoria is out, do you wanna play games downstairs on the mega flatscreen?” I ask with a smile. Roger lights up and nods, hurrying to run up to his room to bring the Xbox downstairs. I finish eating and do the dishes, thinking hard on what the young boy had said. 

No wonder Victoria is so prickly if that’s what her older relatives think of her. There have been rumors of her sleeping around, but Rachel has those same rumors fall on her all the time and she’s currently dating Chloe, so who knows what the truth is? What really gets me, though, is the fact that Roger’s mom would talk about Victoria like that in front of him. Victoria is his cousin and he’s so young and impressionable still. He should be allowed to make his own decisions on how he feels about her, not have someone else’s shoved down his throat. 

Not that there’s much that I can do about any of it. I’m just the babysitter. I’m only here for a few days and then I go back to avoiding the Chase family at all costs. 

Roger and I make the living room our little gaming den for the day. Or at least half of it, anyway. We’re twenty rounds into our fight against the zombie hordes of dead Nazis when the front is slammed open and shut, a loud, angry groan coming from the entry hall. 

“Uh oh,” Roger whispers, pausing the game before moving closer to me. I smile and ruffle his hair. 

“Don’t worry, bud. She just needs some time to calm down,” I tell him. 

“Can I get some help in here?” Victoria shouts from the entryway. I stand and walk into the hall, my jaw dropping when I see the absolutely massive bundle of boxes and bags the blond girl is holding. “Stop staring and fucking help me, Caulfield.” I hurry over, taking the biggest bag and one of the boxes from her, groaning under their weight. 

“What the hell did you buy?” I ask as I help her carry it all into the living room.

“I bought something that’s gonna make him like me more than he likes you,” she says as we set everything down and the confusion I feel multiplies instantly. 

“Victoria wha-”

“What’s all that?” Roger asks softly, looking at the bags curiously. I see the logo on them and understanding flashes over me. 

“You didn’t,” I say as I dig into the biggest bag. There’s more games in here than I can count. 

“I did,” she says with a huff, brushing her hair from her face before picking up one of the boxes and setting it gently in front of Roger. His eyes go wide as he stares at the box and then up at Victoria. 

“I-is this the new generation Playstation?” He asks with a small squeak to his voice. Victoria nods triumphantly, her hands on her hips like she’s the average gamer boy’s superwoman. 

“It is. And I got us everything from Rock Band to the new Call of Duty so that we spend the rest of this weekend having fun,” she says with a smile. Roger looks up at her as tears gather in his eyes. My heart aches suddenly. He runs up to Victoria and wraps her in a hug so tight that I’m pretty sure Victoria’s eyes are about to pop out. 

“Thank you, Tori! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” He says excitedly, leaving the taller girl speechless. She hesitantly puts her hands on Roger’s back, smiling a little. Something in her shifts in that moment, something I’ve never seen from her before. 

“No problem, Rog,” she says gently, giving him a gentle squeeze. “Now go ahead and open it all up. Max can help you set it all up and I’ll go order us some pizza and ice cream.” 

“Yes! Max, you know how HDMI works, right?” He asks me. I smile and nod, still sort of in shock. I’m not sure how to feel about this display, but I know that deep down, Victoria has something good in her that loves this kid, even if she won’t admit to it. 

I help Roger open everything and set it all up on the big living room TV, laughing when he decides to make his gamer tag for every account he makes BigRog. I get him set up on a game and then decide I should go check on Victoria. She went up to her room and hasn’t come down after thirty minutes of ordering pizza. 

I walk up the stairs and walk to her room, stopping dead in my tracks when I hear her voice on the other side of the door. 

“Yes, I bought him some video games, so what?... Yeah I used my own money. What do you care, anyway? You and Aunt Karren went to Mexico for the long weekend… No, I’m not taking it back… If she doesn’t want him playing then that’s her problem! We can keep the stuff here for when he comes to visit.”

I start to walk back towards the stairs, but the floorboards creak beneath my feet. Silence fills the air for a moment and I freeze, swallowing thickly. 

“Mom, I gotta go. Yeah, whatever. K, bye.” 

Before I can even blink, Victoria’s door is flung open. I jump and squeak in surprise, getting a glare from the taller girl. 

“Were you eavesdropping, Caulfield?” She asks as she stares me down, her arms crossed over her chest. I shake my head, trying to find my words. 

“N-no, I was just-”

“Just what? Nosing around in my family’s privacy? Why did you even come to watch Roger, anyway? I bet it was just so you could find dirt on me, right? You’re so fucking typical, I can’t believe you would manipulate my little cousin into liking you just so you could-”

I cut her off, my confusion giving way to anger. 

“So I could what, Victoria?” I ask her, standing a bit taller as I speak. “I didn’t manipulate him, I talked to him. I listened to him. I spent time with him because that’s what I was asked to do. It’s more than you or anyone else around here seems to be doing.” 

She opens and closes her mouth, her jaw tight. 

“Watch what you say to me, Max. This isn’t one of your little social games. This is  _ my _ family,” she says as she steps into my personal space. I want to back up, but I stand firm, glaring right back at her. 

“Then you should be treating him like he’s your family, not someone who can just be won over by expensive bullshit,” I say firmly. 

“You’re just jealous because now I’m his favorite and not you,” she says lowly and I can’t help the way my brow furrows. 

“What? Victoria, I don’t care about being Roger’s favorite. I care about him having fun and being alive when your family comes home. I just so happen to like video games and I’ve spent time with kids before so I’m familiar with their behavior. That’s it. If you talked to him, maybe you wouldn’t have to spend thousands of dollars on material stuff to get him to like you,” I tell her, seeing a flash of her behind her eyes. “Did you know that he thinks you’re scary? He snuck downstairs this morning to eat breakfast and asked if you were here. Maybe if you opened up to him and let him get to know you, the real you, then he wouldn’t need a new Playstation to make him want to spend time with you.” 

Victoria stares down at me with the same hard stare that she always has, but I can see cracks in it now. The gold and yellow that break through the dark green and brown of her eyes. I stare into them, getting lost in the specks of fire for a moment. 

I’ve never been this close to her before. It doesn’t take a genius to know that Victoria is beautiful or smart or creative or talented. But it takes a shovel and a lifetime’s worth of digging to figure out that she’s also soft inside. She cares, she really does. I could see it when she brought all that stupid stuff into the house and when Roger smiled and held her and thanked her for what she’d done. She’s generous and kind and she loves people. I know she does. So when she starts to lean in, I don’t pull away. 

Because I want to know more. I want to know everything about Victoria Chase. I want to learn all of her soft spots, all of the things she hides under her prickly words and sharp glares. I want to see her stripped bare of the facade. I want to see the real her because I’ve had peaks, I’ve seen little glimpses. And I know that those glimpses are more than enough to pull me in. 

“You’re impossible,” she says softly, her breath brushing against my lips. I can’t help smiling, starting to close the gap between us. 

“You know you love it,” I whisper. 

We’re so close, so close to something I’ve only ever dared to dream about. 

“Max? Max! Are you ok? Where are you?” 

Victoria and I jump away from each other when we hear Roger’s voice, my heart racing hard against my ribs. Victoria is wide-eyed, her chest heaving as she stares at me like I might bite her. I clear my throat and shake myself, realizing that I should probably focus a little.

“I’m upstairs, buddy. I’ll be down in a minute,” I call down to him.

“Can I have a Twinkie?” He calls up. I laugh softly and shake my head. 

“If you can reach them,” I tell him. The next thing I hear is the sound of little bare feet pittering over the tile floor and I can’t help smiling. I sigh and look to Victoria again. She’s still staring at me, her fists clenched at her sides. I smile a little and look at the floor, shrugging. 

“He’s a good kid, Victoria. Maybe get to know him a little. Put your money to good use and play those games with us tonight. Maybe you’ll have fun,” I say softly. She stares at me, swallowing thickly before giving me a stiff nod. I smile a little and turn to the stairs, walking down to the living room. Roger is still in the kitchen, I can hear the sound of a Twinkie wrapper opening. 

I sigh lightly and plop onto the couch, covering my face with a pillow to hide my smile. 

I almost kissed Victoria. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading and have an amazing day!


	3. Day Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Video games, pizza, and some other fun things!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I absolutely loved writing this fic and I'm glad that so many of you have enjoyed it as well!

Day Three (a little after midnight)

Victoria’s POV

We spend that entire night playing video games and laughing and Max even has a glass of cranberry juice with a laughably small amount of vodka in it. I find myself actually having fun. Playing a multiplayer game with three split screens isn’t all that bad with such a large TV, but Roger keeps “screen-peeking.” 

I end up sitting right next to Max on the couch when we eat a large cheese pizza between the three of us. Max makes a comment about how people who like pineapples on their pizza are freaks and I know that she’s teasing me because she’s seen me eat pineapple pizza before. Which I instantly crave after she mentions it. We’re laughing and having way too much fun by around midnight that I only notice that Roger is falling asleep when he drops his controller. 

Max smiles and gets to her feet, helping Roger stand from his spot on the rug.

“Come on, mister. I think it’s bedtime,” she says in a soft voice that has me imagining a life that will probably never come to be. Max takes my little cousin up to his bedroom and tells him that she’ll be within yelling distance if he needs anything. Something about Max treating my family like that has my heart fluttering in my chest. Why is she so sweet? 

I would never have pinned Max as the mothering type, what with the house plants she’s always accidentally killing. But when she comes back downstairs and smiles at me, I see a part of her that I either hadn’t noticed, or have been ignoring since the day I met her. 

She’s sweet and kind and soft, but not in the weak sort of way that I would’ve assumed. She cares about the people that others ignore. I had never meant to ignore Roger. I’ve always known that he needs help and support, but I never thought that was my job. But now that I know that no one else is stepping up, maybe I should take a page out of Max’s book. Maybe I should start caring, even if I’m not the only person who does. 

“So, you down for a rematch? I bet my liver that you can’t beat me at a one on one match,” Max says with that silly grin again. I stare at her, feeling like my stomach might explode from all the butterflies fluttering around inside. 

“I bet you a kiss that I can,” I say without thinking, my embarrassment slightly lessened when I see her blush. 

“You don’t have to beat me in a video game to kiss me.” 

The words hang between us for a moment and time crawls around me like molasses. I can hear my heart in my ears and my hands are clenched so hard that I’m sure my knuckles have gone white. 

I stand before I can think better of it, taking the five or so steps needed to be in Max’s space. But when I get close enough to hold her, to bring her close to my body and kiss her like I’ve been imagining, I feel like my body is full of lead. What if this is just a one time thing? What if it’s the closeness of the moment and nothing else? What if she still hates me and this is just a way to get back at me for everything I’ve done to her and her friends? 

“Victoria,” she whispers, taking my hand in hers as she looks up into my eyes. Even though I’m taller than her, I can’t help feeling small when she uses that tone. Like I’m just a confused, lonely kid again. “This can be the beginning or it can be the end. But whatever it is, I want it with you. I’ve always wanted this with you.” 

I’m not sure if she means the physical touch or the night of fun and laughter that we’ve had, but part of me doesn’t care. 

So I kiss her. I kiss her and I grip her hand in mine because it’s the only thing besides her lips that grounds me as soon as we meet. I feel like my soul has escaped my body as her soft, gentle lips touch mine. It feels shy at first, we’re getting used to the contrast in emotion. I can feel the ache in my chest waning, leaving an open chasm in its wake. 

I need more. More of Max, more of this intoxicating feeling that has me reeling inside myself. 

I press myself closer to her, using my free hand to tangle my fingers in her short, messily cut hair. It’s much softer than I would’ve thought and it flows like water between my fingers. I feel her other hand lay comfortably on my hip and I nearly fall to the floor from the sensation. It sends shocks up my spine just knowing that this is real. That this isn’t a dream. 

Max hums into my mouth and I feel like I might pass out from the satisfaction it brings to the most primal parts of my mind. I can feel her relaxing, feel her lips moving with clumsy, but persistent purpose. Our bodies are so close and she’s so warm, so soft. I try to get closer, gasping when Max trips and almost falls on her ass. 

She gets her balance and smiles up at me, laughing as her perfectly freckle-covered cheeks turn the prettiest shade of pink I’ve ever seen. I’ve never seen anything more beautiful and it takes my breath away. I laugh with her and help her right herself, pulling her closer. She wraps her arms around my middle, pulling me in for a hug. The affection takes me off guard, but I return it, my body melting in her arms. 

“It’s gonna take time to get used to how touchy you are,” I tease, smiling as she presses her face into my sweatshirt, my heart skipping a beat. There’s something about how soft and genuine her affection is that makes me feel safe and vulnerable all at once. 

“Oh, so kissing me isn’t touchy?” She jokes back and I laugh, rolling my eyes. 

“Whatever, at least I didn’t bring you into a surprise hug,” I huff softly, but there’s no bite to the words and Max knows it, because she only squeezes me closer. 

“I thought it was appropriate. You’re good for more than just kissing and vodka.”

I laugh again, burying my face in the shorter girl’s hair. 

“You’re insufferable!” I say as I squeeze her back, wanting to feel more of how she shakes with her laughter, the sound giving my heart more flutters. 

“How long are you willing to suffer me, Victoria?” She asks me with a smile, shifting her head so we can look into each other’s eyes. “How long will this last?” 

I can see the vulnerability in those deep blue eyes as she speaks. She wants to know if this will last, if it’s just now or for a month or for a year or… Or forever. It’s a loaded question, one that, at first, I’m not sure how to answer. 

“I’ve never… Cared this much about a person that I also want to kiss,” I say honestly, knowing how stupid and inarticulate it must sound. But it’s the only way I can say it without it staying locked inside me. Max holds in a laugh, I can feel it in her chest as we hold each other and I blush, smiling shyly. “Shut up, you do crazy things to me. I feel like an idiot talking to you about this stuff.”

“You’re not an idiot,” she soothes, rubbing her hands up and down the small of my back. I sigh and smile, melting even further into her grasp. “This is new for me too. I’ve never… Well, I’ve honestly never felt this way either. I mean, I’ve had crushes and stuff, but this is so different. You’re different, Victoria.” 

Those words do more to me than they should. I feel my eyes starting to sting with tears and I almost pull away, but it hurts to even imagine it. So I lean in and kiss her again. I kiss her until the pain in my chest fades and the ache in my throat dissolves. I kiss her until the emotional dam inside me breaks. 

I feel free with her like this. Free enough to do something stupid. 

“Sleep in my room tonight,” I say a bit breathlessly, smiling when Max looks like she might burst into flames from blushing so hard. “Don’t worry, Caulfield, I’m not going to screw you with Roger sleeping down the hall. I just… I don’t want to be away from you tonight.” 

Max smiles in understanding, nodding as she kisses me in that soft way that has me shivering with satisfaction. 

“Ok, but only snuggling. I’m not about traumatizing children or putting out before the first date,” she says with a grin that shows me her words are good natured. 

“That’s good. I’d rather us at least go shopping first. That way you have something half way decent to wear after we do it in the dorm showers.” It’s stupid and probably not a thing we’d do, but the way Max sputters and blushes is worth the cheesiness of it. “God, you’re so easy!”

“And you’re mean,” she says with a laugh. When we can finally disconnect, we clean up the pizza box, soda bottles and wine glasses, making sure everything is in order for when my mom comes home tomorrow. It almost feels like it’s too soon, but that also means that I’ll be going back to school the next day. 

This moment with Max doesn’t have to be temporary. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading and have an amazing day!


	4. Later on Day Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max tells Chloe and Rachel about what happened with Victoria and has an idea of how to surprise her girlfriend with a tasty treat!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm so sorry it's been actually forever. I had a crazy stomach bug and couldn't eat for almost two weeks. Luckily, I'm feeling much better and can now write bunches! Thank you for your patience and enjoy!

Max’s POV

“Are you  _ kidding _ me?” Chloe asks as she stares at me with a look of betrayal on her face. I sigh, sinking into my side of the booth a bit as the taller girl stares me down. “Max, for the love of God, please tell me that you’re joking.”

“Chloe, it’s really not-”

“Max Caulfield, if you tell me that you are  _ dating  _ Victoria Chase - the Queen of Highschool Hell herself - I am going to throw you out the window,” she says as her face starts to soften a bit. “Why didn’t you tell me you liked her? Isn’t this the kinda shit that best friends tell each other?”

“I didn’t think you would understand,” I mumble half-heartedly as I try to gather up the courage I’d felt before my best friend had blown up about all this. “I thought you’d be mad.”

“Well I am now!” she says a bit too loudly, drawing the attention of a few other people eating their food around us. She sighs and puts her elbows on the table, running her fingers through her hair and causing her beanie to fall off. “Look… I’m mad that you didn’t tell me you liked her and maybe you’re right. I probably would’ve been pissed that you fell in love with the meanest demon on the west coast, but you’re my best friend for fuck’s sake. I would’ve gotten over it.”

“I’m sorry,” I say as I sit up, grabbing her hands when they fall onto the table. “I just… with you and Rachel being together, I thought you’d be even more pissed than this. Victoria  _ hates _ Rachel and I didn’t want to strain this any more than it already is.”

“Strain?” Chloe asks me with a furrowed brow and my heart sinks.

“Chloe… You’re pussy-whipped,” I say as gently as I can, getting an offended gasp in response as she pulls her hands away from me. 

“Maxine, I resent that!” She shouts in a way that I know is a bit of teasing, which gives me the courage to continue. 

“But it’s true! Rachel is all you think about, all you talk about and she’s always around. Don’t get me wrong, I love her as much I love you, but sometimes I miss the days when it was just us. You guys are always touching and kissing and it’s kind of gross. Not to mention that I feel hella left out all the time,” I grumble, slowly deflating as Chloe’s eyes go from resistant to soft and understanding. 

“I… I’m sorry, Max,” she says softly, kicking my sneaker gently under the table so I’ll look at her again. “You’re my number one. You know that. I’ll… I’ll talk to Rach and we’ll work something out. Maybe this weekend we can have a movie night, just you and me. Whatcha think?”

I smile, shrugging as I sip my coffee. My heart flutters happily in my chest, knowing that my best friend is actually listening to me. Not that she doesn’t normally. Except she doesn’t. I’d have to beat this stuff into her skull most days, but I think that having Rachel around has opened her up a bit more.

“I’d like that. But please don’t tell Rachel that I don’t like her or something. She’s really nice and I do actually like spending time with her. I just don’t like watching you two swap spit whenever we hang out.”

“Oh come on, you know you love it,” Chloe retorts, waggling her eyebrows at me in a way that makes me want to spit-take my coffee at her. But I resist, swallowing the bitter warmth and rolling my eyes. 

“You’re nasty,” I tell her, trying not to blush. I’d be lying if I said that watching Chloe and Rachel didn’t awaken my curiosity, but I’m definitely not the creepy friend that gets their jollies from watching the two gays make out. 

“Whatever, you love me,” she says teasingly. I shake my head but the smile on my face doesn’t go away. She’s right. I’ve always loved Chloe and I always will. Her and Rachel falling in love is the best thing that ever happened to either of them and I know that. I just hope they know that I don’t want to get in the way of that with my needy best friend behavior. 

“Well, well, speak of the hottest girl in the world and she appears,” Chloe says with a smile, looking past me. I turn and see Rachel walk into the diner, looking around until her eyes land on us. She smiles and walks over hurriedly, an excited smile on her face as she slides into the booth beside Chloe, giving the taller girl a kiss on the cheek. Chloe melts like a scoop of ice cream on hot cement and I do my best not to make a fake gagging noise. These two are adorable. They melt my heart. 

“Hi, baby,” Rachel says as she kisses Chloe’s cheek again and Chloe turns into a puddle, all smiles and mooney-eyes. “Hey, Max! How are you?”

“She’s dating Victoria Chase, so she’s probably been abducted by aliens or mind-splayed or something,” Chloe grumbles, leaning back against the booth as she wraps her arm around Rachel’s shoulders which are covered by one of Chloe’s old sweatshirts. Rachel’s eyes go wide for a moment as she looks at me, giving me a questioning raise of her eyebrows. 

“Are you for real?” She asks me and I blush, looking away as I wrap my arms around myself. 

“Y-yeah…” I trail off, my heart racing with nervousness. Rachel and Victoria hate each other. And I mean  _ hate. _ Victoria is everything that Rachel stands against. She’s materialistic, vain, popularity driven, puts others down at any cost, and never puts anyone before herself. Of course, it’s not exactly difficult to figure out that the main reason Victoria acts like that is because she’s insecure - a trait that Rachel seems to have had taken out of her brain at birth. But that doesn't make it ok, obviously. 

“And you’re not going to spill every detail?” Rachel asks, making me blink as I look at her again, unable to stop the smile that pulls at my lips. 

“You’re ok with this?” I dare to ask and Rachel rolls her eyes, receiving a shocked look from her own girlfriend. 

“I may not like her, but she’s hot. And I’ve seen her be nice every now and again,” Rachel says as she steals Chloe’s coffee and takes a sip. 

“Is the end of the world on its way?” Chloe asks, deadpan as she looks between Rachel and me. “Am I losing it? Am I in the Twilight Zone?” 

“No, baby. You’re just a little closed-minded,” Rachel teases, laying her head on Chloe’s shoulder. She turns back to me, grinning in a way that makes me feel a lot like I’m a goldfish in a bowl that’s being sized up by a house cat. “Now tell me everything.” 

I tell them most of what happened. I leave out a lot of the more personal stuff about Victoria considering how private she is. Not that I blame her. She’s under a microscope a lot of the time, even at home. It explains a lot, honestly. I explain how things progressed, but as vague as I can manage to be under the circumstances. I tell them about the kiss, about how Victoria actually let me fall asleep with her in bed after we talked into the early hours of the morning. 

We hadn’t gotten to sleep long since we had to make breakfast for Roger and make sure that the house was in good shape for when her mom and aunt got back. I was gone before they got there. 

The memory of how Roger had hugged me and said he’d ask his mom if I could watch him all the time made my chest ache. His family apparently lives all the way in New York. He only comes to stay when his mom comes to visit Mrs. Chase or when his dad comes to this side of the continent for business stuff. I probably won’t see him again for a while, but he gave me his gamer tag and we’re going to play games together soon. I just have to convince my parents to give me a Playstation as a super early birthday gift. 

And then there was how Victoria had kissed me in her room before I left. She’d pulled me in and pressed herself so close to me that I was convinced that I was saying goodbye to her for good or something. 

We’d decided to keep our little relationship on the down-low because Victoria isn’t ready to come out yet. Which I totally understand. As much as I want to be able to act like her person when we’re out and about at school, the thought is scary. People can say and do a lot of things that could not only sting mentally or emotionally, they could also do things to hurt Victoria’s reputation - which is worth its weight in gold, apparently. But that doesn’t matter. I don’t care about being a secret. I don’t like being the one in the spotlight and I would definitely become that if people found out about Victoria and me too soon. 

Rachel and Chloe swear they won’t tell a soul, and I believe them. Even if I do worry a little. I can’t always help it, they have way too many of my secrets locked in their combined consciousness. They tell each other everything and sometimes Chloe talks too much when she’s trying to impress people and prove that she’s good enough to be dating Rachel Amber. 

I take the bus back to Blackwell, walking into the brick-walled halls to join the crowds of students making their ways to their first classes. I have my headphones in, listening to a list of calming toons when a blond figure catches my eye. Clad in her usual “I’m better than you” attire, Victoria looks like a totally different person when compared to the girl I kissed this morning. Her hair is perfectly combed, not a hair out of place. Her makeup is flawless, lip gloss making her lips look good enough to risk my life in order to kiss. Her cashmere is maroon today, a yellow button-up underneath it that looks amazing with her brown skirt. I want to walk right up to her and tell her she’s beautiful, but I know that I shouldn’t. Especially when she looks at me and I see the emotion behind her eyes. 

She wants it too, I think. But she’s scared. So I just wave and say a quiet good morning, getting a curt nod in response as I make my way to my morning English class. It’s a strange sensation, like all of Blackwell has suddenly changed around me. I don’t feel so afraid of it anymore. Maybe I was never really afraid of school, maybe I was just freaked out by Victoria. 

I can’t help how my mind drifts to how many times she apologized to me last night, tears in her eyes as she begged for me to forgive her for everything she’s ever said to me. It had taken a lot of convincing and gentle kisses before she finally believed that I forgave her, but it was more than worth it. 

I don’t want anything from the past between us. She knows that I understand why she is the way she is and she seems willing to accept my forgiveness for what it is: a genuine affection for her. 

This weekend has really changed my view on Victoria in more ways than I can count. It’s strange how seeing a person in their own environment can show you who they really are. I don’t like that people feel like they have to pretend just to get somewhere. Maybe it’s a high school thing. I hope it is. 

Victoria is passionate, soft, caring, ambitious and confident in the things she knows she’s good at. She doesn’t need to be a bitch on top of that just to get somewhere in life. I think her photos are good enough to get her to the top without even trying, but I’m sure she doesn’t think the same thing. No one has ever told her that she’s good enough. 

So when classes get out and I watch her walk to the dorms from Photography class, I decide that I’m going to do something a little spontaneous. 

_ Sent: hai, busy tonight? :) _

The reply comes at the speed of light and I smile down at the text as my heart flutters away in my chest. 

_ Toribear: im free if you need me to be _

My heart skips at that and I glance around my empty room like someone might see me blushing. To my relief, no one has randomly appeared in my private space since that surprise party Chloe threw me when I won a contest that got one of my photos into a magazine. 

_ Sent: i dont want you to cancel something important just for me _

_ Toribear: you’re important to me _

_ Sent: omg staahhhppppp, im dying over here //// _

_ Toribear: was that supposed to be a blush? _

_ Sent: shut up, you did this to me _

_ Toribear: movie date tonight?  _

I pause, worrying my lip. My plan could work for that. I glance over at the bag full of cookies that I know she likes, wondering how to get them hidden in her dorm before then. 

_ Sent: yes please! Where are you? _

_ Toribear: library. Taylor needs to pay a fee for her old textbooks _

_ Sent: ok, let me know when you’re ready and ill be movie-ready! _

_ Toribear: dork _

_ Sent: you love me _

_ Toribear: stop being cute _

I smile and jump to my feet, grabbing the bag of cookies and slowly opening my door and checking both ways of the hall. Luckily, everyone seems to be in their own dorms, or away for the afternoon. I scurry across the hall and slowly open Victoria’s door, closing it quietly behind me. 

It’s immaculate, as usual. 

I start hiding boxes, humming happily as I do so. It’s a silly thing that’ll probably result in an ant problem, but it’s fun! I just hope that Victoria feels that way when she figures out that I’ve hidden a box in her snow boot. 

It doesn’t take more than five minutes for every box - except for the one I’ve opened and started snacking on - to be hidden in plain sight or somewhere impossible. I smile at my handy work and am about to head back to my room when I hear footsteps and a familiar voice outside the door. 

“Oh shit,” I whisper as I whirl around the room, looking for a place to hide. I jump for the closet and hide in a coat, hoping it’s long enough to hide my legs. It’s good that I found a spot so quickly, because the door opens and Victoria walks in, followed by Taylor and Courtney. 

“I can’t believe they didn’t take your car for drinking while they were gone,” Courtney says. I can’t see her because I have to turn my back to the room so they don’t see my face, which only makes me more nervous. I can’t tell how close anyone is to me. 

“She was just glad that Roger survived the weekend,” Victoria says and I smile, trying not to laugh. We’d spent a considerable amount of time cleaning last night before going up to bed, so I’d hoped that her mom would go easy on her. Apparently she had. 

“So, how did it go spending the whole weekend with Max?” Taylor asks and I can hear the teasing tone in her voice. She sounds like she knows something. 

“It was fine,” Victoria says nonchalantly and I hear the shuffling of papers and books, like they’re getting out stuff to do homework. 

_ Oh god, how long am I going to be stuck in here? _

“Just fine?” Taylor asks, sounding surprised. “You didn’t make your move?”

“Can we not talk about this?” Victoria asks with a sigh and I hear footsteps getting closer to the closet. I hold my breath, my heart and mind racing. 

“Vic, you’ve been hardcore crushing on her the entire semester and you didn’t pounce on her? God, you’re such a useless lesbian.”

I smack my hand over my mouth, holding back a laugh at Taylor’s words even as my mind goes to some crazy places. Has Victoria really liked me for that long? The information makes my head spin. Or maybe it’s the fact that I’m still holding my breath. 

I pull out my phone, making sure to be slow and careful. I type as slowly as I can, glad that I left my phone on silent. 

_ Sent: don’t look in the closet _

“Taylor, we have so many other things we could be talking about and this is what you want to waste your breath over?” Victoria asks, her voice very close to the closet as she looks into it. Of course she would. She probably thinks I’m hiding a present in here or something. 

“It’s an important discussion!” Taylor protests. 

But Victoria doesn’t answer. I feel the coat I’m hiding in shift and I go stock-still. It moves away from me and Victoria and I make eye contact and she jumps, letting out a squeak that’s way too adorable for her usual tone. I have to hold back a laugh and cover my mouth with my hands, hiding a bit more. 

“What’s wrong?” Taylor asks, walking over, but Victoria intersects her. 

“Nothing,” she says hurriedly, sounding tense as she shoves her friend away. “I need a moment to myself. Both of you get out.” 

“What? I thought we were going to study,” Courtney argues, but I hear the sound of things being packed up.

“I changed my mind. Now get out before I kick you in the ass,” Victoria demands. I hear footsteps and grumbling and then the door opening and closing. There’s a moment of silence, a heavy sigh, and then the light breaking through my cover. I flinch in surprise, but then I see Victoria and I smile. 

“H-hi there,” I say as she stares me down, a strange expression on her face. 

“Max, please, for the love of everything that is good in this world, tell me that you didn’t sneak into my room to steal my underwear or something,” she says as she looks at me expectantly, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“No! No, of course not,” I say quickly as I step out of the closet. “I was putting together a surprise and then you got back so fast that I had to hide because I figured that was better than you having to explain why I was just standing in the middle of your bedroom.” 

Victoria smirks, barely noticeable because I can tell she’s trying not to smile. 

“Are you serious?” She says as her smirk grows into a smile and I reach out to take her hand, smiling up at her. 

“Yeah, I wanted to do something nice for you,” I tell her as I take a step into her personal space. She goes a bit pink and brushes a strand of my now messy hair out of my face. 

“You know, maybe I’m going to like this little arrangement,” she says gently, leaning down to kiss me. I hum at the touch of her lips, melting completely as relief floods over me. 

“You’re not mad?” I ask with a smile, wrapping my arms around her middle. I never thought that holding anyone would feel like this. I never thought that having Victoria this close to me would be so soothing to my senses. 

“That depends, what’s the surprise?” She asks me, glancing around her room suspiciously. 

“Well…” I grab the box of cookies out of her snow boot and show it to her. Her eyes light up and she takes the box with a smile, kissing me excitedly. 

“God, Max, you’re adorable,” she says happily, opening the box and taking out one of the chocolate chunk cookies. “How did you know that these are my favorite?”

“Because we live across the hall from each other,” I say teasingly, getting a playful swat to the shoulder in return. “But uh… That’s not the end of the surprise.” Victoria lifts her eyebrows at me in such an adorable way that I have to stop myself from just pulling her in for another kiss. She has a bite of cookie in her mouth, waiting for me to speak. “There’s actually six other boxes hidden around the room. So… You’ll have lots of cookies for a long time, if you can find them.”

“Are you serious?” She asks me, not looking as amused as I’d hoped she would. 

“Y-yeah,” I say shyly, avoiding her gaze. She seems to soften though, because she leans down and kisses my cheek. 

“That’s adorable,” she tells me softly and I smile, feeling much better when she speaks. “But if I get ants, you’re cleaning it up.”

I laugh and shake my head, rolling my eyes. 

“Deal!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and have an awesome day!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading and have an awesome day!


End file.
